Editing History of computing (section)

===Personal computers===
The [[MOSFET|metal–oxide–silicon field-effect transistor]] (MOSFET), also known as the MOS transistor, was invented at Bell Labs between 1955 and 1960,<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US2802760A|title=Oxidation of semiconductive surfaces for controlled diffusion|gdate=1957-08-13|invent1=Lincoln|invent2=Frosch|inventor1-first=Derick|inventor2-first=Carl J.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2802760A}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Huff |first1=Howard |last2=Riordan |first2=Michael |date=2007-09-01 |title=Frosch and Derick: Fifty Years Later (Foreword) |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.F02073IF |journal=The Electrochemical Society Interface |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=29 |doi=10.1149/2.F02073IF |issn=1064-8208}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frosch |first1=C. J. |last2=Derick |first2=L |date=1957 |title=Surface Protection and Selective Masking during Diffusion in Silicon |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.2428650 |journal=Journal of the Electrochemical Society |language=en |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=547 |doi=10.1149/1.2428650}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=KAHNG |first=D. |date=1961 |title=Silicon-Silicon Dioxide Surface Device |url=https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |journal=Technical Memorandum of Bell Laboratories |pages=583–596 |doi=10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |isbn=978-981-02-0209-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lojek |first=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-540-34258-8 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |page=321}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ligenza |first1=J.R. |last2=Spitzer |first2=W.G. |date=1960 |title=The mechanisms for silicon oxidation in steam and oxygen |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0022369760902195 |journal=Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids |language=en |volume=14 |pages=131–136 |bibcode=1960JPCS...14..131L |doi=10.1016/0022-3697(60)90219-5}}</ref><ref name="Lojek1202">{{cite book |last1=Lojek |first1=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9783540342588 |page=120}}</ref> It was the first truly compact transistor that could be [[MOSFET scaling|miniaturised]] and [[Moore's law|mass-produced]] for a wide range of uses.<ref name="Moskowitz"/> The MOSFET made it possible to build [[very large-scale integration|high-density]] [[integrated circuit]] chips.<ref name="computerhistory-transistor">{{cite web |title=Who Invented the Transistor? |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/who-invented-the-transistor/ |website=[[Computer History Museum]] |date=4 December 2013 |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="Hittinger">{{cite journal |last1=Hittinger |first1=William C. |title=Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Technology |journal=Scientific American |date=1973 |volume=229 |issue=2 |pages=48–59 |issn=0036-8733|jstor=24923169 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0873-48 |bibcode=1973SciAm.229b..48H }}</ref> The MOSFET is the most widely used transistor in computers,<ref name="kahng">{{cite web |title=Dawon Kahng |url=https://www.invent.org/inductees/dawon-kahng |website=[[National Inventors Hall of Fame]] |access-date=27 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="atalla">{{cite web|title=Martin Atalla in Inventors Hall of Fame, 2009|url=https://www.invent.org/inductees/martin-john-m-atalla|access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref> and is the fundamental building block of [[digital electronics]].<ref name="triumph">{{cite web |title=Triumph of the MOS Transistor |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6fBEjf9WPw  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/q6fBEjf9WPw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=21 July 2019 |date=6 August 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The [[silicon-gate]] MOS integrated circuit was developed by [[Federico Faggin]] at [[Fairchild Semiconductor]] in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |title=1968: Silicon Gate Technology Developed for ICs |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/silicon-gate-technology-developed-for-ics/ |website=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref> This led to the development of the first single-chip [[microprocessor]], the [[Intel 4004]].<ref name="computerhistory1971">{{cite web|title=1971: Microprocessor Integrates CPU Function onto a Single Chip|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/microprocessor-integrates-cpu-function-onto-a-single-chip/|access-date=22 July 2019|website=[[Computer History Museum]]}}</ref> The Intel 4004 was developed as a single-chip microprocessor from 1969 to 1970, led by Intel's Federico Faggin, [[Marcian Hoff]], and [[Stanley Mazor]], and Busicom's Masatoshi Shima.<ref name="ieee">{{cite journal |first=Federico |last=Faggin |author-link=Federico Faggin |title=The Making of the First Microprocessor |journal=IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine |date=Winter 2009 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=8–21 |doi=10.1109/MSSC.2008.930938 |s2cid=46218043|doi-access= }}</ref> The chip was mainly designed and realized by Faggin, with his silicon-gate MOS technology.<ref name="computerhistory1971"/> The microprocessor led to the microcomputer revolution, with the development of the [[microcomputer]], which would later be called the [[personal computer]] (PC).

Most early microprocessors, such as the [[Intel 8008]] and [[Intel 8080]], were [[8-bit]]. Texas Instruments released the first fully [[16-bit]] microprocessor, the [[Texas Instruments TMS9900|TMS9900]] processor, in June 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stuartconner.me.uk/tm990/tm990.htm|title=Stuart's TM 990 Series 16-bit Microcomputer Modules|last=Conner|first=Stuart|website=www.stuartconner.me.uk|access-date=2017-09-05}}</ref> They used the microprocessor in the TI-99/4 and [[TI-99/4A]] computers.

The 1980s brought about significant advances with microprocessors that greatly impacted the fields of engineering and other sciences. The [[Motorola 68000]] microprocessor had a processing speed that was far superior to the other microprocessors being used at the time. Because of this, having a newer, faster microprocessor allowed for the newer [[microcomputer]]s that came along after to be more efficient in the amount of computing they were able to do. This was evident in the 1983 release of the [[Apple Lisa]]. The Lisa was one of the first personal computers with a [[Graphical user interface|graphical user interface (GUI)]] that was sold commercially. It ran on the Motorola 68000 CPU and used both dual floppy disk drives and a 5 MB hard drive for storage. The machine also had 1MB of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] used for running software from disk without rereading the disk persistently.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/#169ebbe2ad45559efbc6eb3572083fb7|title=Computers {{!}} Timeline of Computer History {{!}} Computer History Museum|website=www.computerhistory.org|language=en|access-date=2022-12-26}}</ref> After the failure of the Lisa in terms of sales, Apple released its [[Macintosh 128K|first Macintosh]] computer, still running on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, but with only 128KB of RAM, one floppy drive, and no hard drive to lower the price.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, computers became more useful for personal and work purposes, such as [[word processing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A brave new world: the 1980s home computer boom |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/a-brave-new-world-the-1980s-home-computer-boom/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=HistoryExtra |language=en}}</ref> In 1989, Apple released the [[Macintosh Portable]], it weighed {{cvt|7.3|kg|lb}} and was extremely expensive, costing US$7,300. At launch, it was one of the most powerful laptops available, but due to the price and weight, it was not met with great success and was discontinued only two years later.  That same year Intel introduced the Touchstone Delta [[supercomputer]], which had 512 microprocessors. This technological advancement was very significant, as it was used as a model for some of the fastest multi-processor systems in the world. It was even used as a prototype for Caltech researchers, who used the model for projects like real-time processing of satellite images and simulating molecular models for various fields of research.